the house is messy... but I need to blog.

Jacob school journey is really getting to me. No one should say to a child "School will be so exciting you will learn so many new things!" Of course Jacob has learned new things,... but do they really have to do with Bomb threats and Halloween.

Honestly with the work coming home with him, all I can say is that he is making progress in pattern making, otherwise he is learning one number per month this for a child who is adding and subtracting at home. Alphabet wise one work sheet has come home on the letter I, and they claim the a straight line is not the letter I, I felt like calling and asking them to look at a computer keyboard and describe the letter I to me. At least on all our key board it is a straight line up and down. Jacob is reading things all around us, including instruction on how I should make the Kraft dinner in the microwave because it's quicker! Many people are telling to stop doing work with him at home, but he loves it. Would you tell a child who loves playing hockey, to stop practicing and playing hockey until the peers in his age group all catch up! No. Then how can people honestly say to stop doing activities and games with Jacob regarding maths and reading.

So everyone is telling me that kindergarten, especially kindergarten is simply for the social element. Well, I have issues there as well. Jacob is in a spit grade class, meaning that his class has some Junior Kindergarten kids and some Senior Kindergarten kids. After months at school, Jacob is still struggling with names of some of the SK kids, put after taking to his teacher I can understand. As she tries to separate them as much as possible. I wished I would of know that, I would not be asking for names of these older children. But the straw that is braking this camel's back is the fact that my sweet sensitive boy is being teased at school. Today is day three of this trial, and I am afraid it will not be ending soon. I fear they have realized that he is sensitive and they can bother him. The bullies are in the Sk component of the class. Jacob already doesn't want to go to school, as he would much rather work from home like daddy does. At least at home he would do challenging work and have intellectual stimulation. But now the social component to which we are telling him is why he goes to school is being less then beautiful... it's actually ugly because it is not enough bulling that something can really be done, but it is enough for our sons confidence to be eroded.
I was hoping that school was going to be like camp for me. I hated going to camp as a kid, but as an adult I loved helping out with camps (summer camps, march break camps, ....) I was hoping that even though I hate school as a child I would like school as a parents of a child in school. But I am growing emotionally exhausted at the battles of sending my child to a place he simply is not wanting to go, and that I am wondering how much damage is being done to his confidence.
It is really difficult for me to relive my early school year experience as I watch and try to help my little one going through so many similar experiences.

On a plus side, on Monday's swimming class Jacob jump into the water from a standing position all by himself. Something he has been working on for many many months, and he did it!